The Bond
by BunnyWithEvilIntention
Summary: What if, long ago, fairies and humans shared a powerful bond?  What if they connected; shared each others pain? If so, it is long forgotten. Fairies and humans are never friends. Well, there is one pair.. Will the unlikely duo encounter ancient magic? A/H
1. Trouble

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone. Yeah, yeah. You've heard this before. **

**This story is set post TAC. Enjoy...**

Trouble walked into Doctor Argon's office; he looked around with distaste as he saw how Opal's money had been spend. Expensive trimmings and plush furniture, the room screamed money. At least there weren't any animal furs, everyone has a limit.

The Commander approached the pixie receptionist, the fairy smiled up at him.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked sweetly. Trouble nodded and shoved the letter that Argon had sent him across the chrome bench top. The pixie nodded and gestured which way to go. "He'll be ready for you now." Trouble nodded and walked to Argon's private office, no doubt as posh as the rest of the building.

As a Commander, there is always work. Forms that have to be filled out, requests for leave from most of his officers, and then, there was that Fowl problem. Trouble had lots of work, but when Professor Argon had asked him for an interview to help him write his new biography on Fowl, Trouble couldn't resist the opportunity to mock the mudboy.

So now he was there, and he was still unsure what he would say. Many events had been unfolding since the human had developed Atlantis Complex. "Come in!" Called a tired voice from the office, Trouble followed suit, and saw Professor Argon hobble into his seat. Trouble took the opportunity to sit down and relax for a second. "Wait a moment while I get my notepad." Argon said hurriedly. Of course, it wasn't really a notepad, rather, a slim touchscreen device that Argon was most fond of.

As the doctor sat down, Trouble briefly thought about how Holly would react to the book, if Trouble would make his distain for Fowl public. He supposed she wouldn't care. Holly had slipped away from him as the human had recovered from Atlantis, she had other priorities, look after Fowl, not go for dinner with her superior officer. Trouble realised that Argon was staring at him expectantly, so he hid the scowl from his face and began to talk.

"Fowl has never been an asset to the people. He has continually caused unrepairable damage and injury." Trouble paused for breath and was surprised to see that Argon hadn't written anything down. "Is something wrong?" Trouble asked, "Are you still processing what I just said?" Argon looked at Trouble with exasperation.

"Look Commander, we all know how much you hate Artemis, so please, don't use this as an opportunity to needle him or throw insults, rather speak the truth and tell me of what happened last Saturday, I need more information."

Trouble sighed, _Why can't I just insult him_? He wondered with annoyance, after all, why should last Saturday be of any significance? Though in his heart, Trouble knew that last Saturday, he had seen something that still haunted him. _Why not let it out?_ He thought, then began to talk, "Last Saturday, Fowl was discharged from your Clinic, and sent to recuperate for a week in the apartment of Captain Short. You would know this since it happened in this building, but I was there too. Captain Short was just escorting Fowl out, Argon, you had just gone to the bathroom, and I came up to Fowl. I asked Captain Short of why Fowl had not been cleared for a surface visa yet, and she told me that Fowl would be staying with her for a week. I... uh.. did not react pleasantly to this so I screamed at Fowl and Short for a few moments, then punched Fowl in the stomach." Trouble stopped and massaged his temple, he did not want to say what had happened next.

Trouble wasn't sure if he was happy that Argon had finally began to take notes, but he decided that he could not hide the past forever. Argon looked up and said, "And what did you say to Artemis and Holly?" Trouble was even more annoyed that Argon had called Holly and Fowl by their first names consecutively, it sounded as if they were together. Trouble shuddered.

"I.. ah.. briefly mentioned how Fowl was a criminal and how he was corrupting Captain... uh.. Short and I might have mentioned that Fowl was crazy and had a plan for world domination that involved the destruction of the people."

Argon nodded,

"Did you think that these allegations were true?"

Trouble shook his head, "I... no. No."

Argon stood up, leaning on one leg, "Well Commander, that will be all for today, unless, you want to inform me of what happened next?" Trouble knew he couldn't back up now, so he let out his suspicion.

"When I, punched Fowl, Captain Short crumpled with him. It was, as if they were both connected, and I felt rather bad, for inflicting pain on my fellow officer."

"Did you feel bad for punching Fowl?"

"No."

"Then that'll be all. Thank you Commander."

Trouble stalked out of the office, contemplating what he was really thinking about Holly and Fowl, for as much as he hated to admit it, he suspected that they were more than friends.


	2. Takeaway

**Thanks for everyone who had read the story. Reviews are what make me smile :D.**

**This chapter is short, Accidental pun. and it is just an intro to Holly's POV, plus a little humor. **

**- Now, it's a bit longer, thanks for the comments!**

Holly Short cursed. Not that it was unusual, indeed if you had only known her for a few minutes, her vocabulary would seemingly consist of D'Arvit and Kowpog. Well, if you were annoying her that is. Many things were irritating Holly that day, first and foremost, how Trouble had punched Artemis two days ago. Holly had to admit that she never had feelings for Trouble, he had been a good friend to her in the past, but he really needed some anger management courses, Holly had no doubt that Argon had already offered them to Trouble, for a price of course.

Artemis hadn't been injured, on the contrary, he had seemed rather like himself over the weekend, writing novels on Holly's computer, and hacking into Foaly's databases. As he had admitted, "Foaly really needs to upgrade his system, it's just not a challenge anymore." Holly disapproved of the continued cyber-battle between her two friends, but Artemis doing some of his old tricks was comforting to Holly, so she was secretly glad, and promised herself that she would mention Artemis' comment to the centaur. Not that the centaur in question would be pleased, oh well, what's life without a challenge?

Holly moved around the kitchen swiftly. Preparing Artemis-grade food on a daily basis was a strenuous activity, Butler really was an astonishing cook. As Holly chopped vegetables for her guest, she reflected on why she was upset. Trouble had punched Artemis, but why had she felt his punch? It was strange, yet her connection with the mudboy had grown ever since they had swapped eyes and gone back in time. Holly had never heard of such anomalies, and gave herself a mental note to ask No1 or Qwan about it when she saw them next.

Artemis walked into the kitchen, banging his head on the suspended light strip, which swung vigorously. Holly couldn't contain her laugh. Artemis glared at her. "Low ceilings. I really feel for Butler right now." Holly turned around and reached up to straighten the now misaligned light fitting.

"You could do with some Butler training at the moment. Lying in a clinic bed for two months doesn't help the fitness level, Artemis." The human groaned,

"Oh please, no exercise. I'd rather eat Spud's Spud Emporium for a week." Holly gave Artemis an evil looking grin as the genius processed what he had just said. She dropped the cooking utensil she had been holding and put away the vegetables.

"You said it." Holly grinned and walked over to her home communicator, so that she could call the takeaway number for Spud's. Artemis could only stare hopelessly at the elf's back. "D'Arvit." He swore.

When someone knocked on the door, Artemis could only sigh and wish that he had considered his words more. A being of his intellect really should think about what he would say, Artemis usually did. But, with Holly it was just natural to needle her and just talk. No counting words, not processing what he should say. It just happened. And Artemis liked it that way, Holly was his best friend, his companion. She had protected him just as much as Butler, and forgiven him when he had stumbled... Pretty massively.

Artemis hoped that this 'takeaway' stunt of Holly's would not last for the rest of his stay. Artemis liked her cooking, and he reminded himself that Butler needed to use raw vegetables more often.

As Holly went to open the door, Artemis went onto her v-computer. the latest of course, thanks to Foaly. He dearly hoped that Foaly would not be able to hack into her computer, Artemis had continued his diary.

Holly sat down at her tiny table. "Arty!" She called, "You don't want to miss this!" Artemis walked over to the table. "I did promise... Although, exercise is looking more and more attractive now." Holly pushed the package over. "Eat!" She called cheerily, as she went over to the kitchen so she could eat her vegetables with Artemis. The mudboy stares at the package, as if it would suddenly turn into a dumb bell. No such luck.

As he opened the greasy paper, he nearly chocked on the smell of oil and other liquids he didn't dare think about. Holly came from the kitchen, "That smells!" She commented with distain, "Eat that quickly so I can deodorise the place."

Artemis lifted out the vegetarian burger, and didn't recognise the ingredients. He closed his eyes and took a bite. It was disgusting, Artemis' only polite thought was, Mulch wouldn't dare eat this. He looked up and Holly had run to the sink. She was retching and magic had coated her throat. As soon as he had swallowed the greasy mouthful, Artemis ran over to Holly, "Are you alright?" He asked with worry, then he smiled, "Thank god I didn't eat those vegetables."

Holly looked up. "It wasn't the vegetables," She muttered with a worried expression, "I could taste that disgusting burger!" Holly threw a glance at the said meal, which was still lying on the table. Artemis looked at his friend in shock. "What?" He gasped.


	3. Explanations

**Thanks for reading this far!**

**-BunnyWithEvilIntention**

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No1 is a warlock, he is helpful, powerful and kind, a successful combination. So when he got a call from Holly he accepted, Holly was one of his closest friends.

"Hi Holly. How are you and Artemis?"

A delay of a few seconds ensured, then an uneasy voice followed, "No1, can you please come to my flat? There's something... troubling Artemis and I."

The demon on the other end frowned, "Are you two okay?"

"Uh. Yes, No1, please come soon."

No1 walked over to Qwan, who was just writing a sequel to his bestselling book, 'My time is now.' It was titled, '101 ways to avoid quantum zombies.'

"Qwan, do you mind if I leave now and come back tomorrow?"

The older demon waved his hand, "Go, go! You deserve a break No1."

No1 saluted to Qwan and walks out the door, wondering all the while why Holly had sounded so concerned. Maybe it was Atlantis Complex striking again, No1 reasoned._ But why not contact Argon?_ Then, _She said Artemis and I. What would concern them both?_ He was so absorbed in thought that the little demon very nearly got lost twice on the way to his friend's home.

When he arrived, Holly and Artemis were sitting down at the table, talking in low voices. No1 approached them. "Hi!" He said, fully expecting Holly to stand up and hug him. She didn't, she just looked sick. "No1, what do you know of... feeling someone else's pain?" The demon just frowned, so Artemis decided to elaborate. "No1, when someone punched me, Holly felt the blow. When-"

"Someone punched you? Now that's just-"

Holly reached up and took the demon's hand. "No1"" she said gently, "This is rather serious, Artemis and I would appreciate if you would just listen for a minute."

The warlock demon just nodded mutely. Artemis started again,

"When Trouble Kelp punched me," He paused for breath so that it could sink in, "Holly felt the blow. When I ate," Artemis winced and so did Holly, "something... putrid, Holly tasted it too."

No1 was stunned, he was trying to process what he had just heard. There was nothing he could think of, so he pulled out his communicator and called Qwan. When the demon answered, No1 quickly explained what he had heard in rapid gnomish, Qwan asked him to turn the volume up and sit the phone on the table. Holly took Artemis' hand. A familiar gesture that Artemis was comforted by, but didn't feel he deserved, but for once, he didn't cause this crisis, or maybe he did, he just didn't know it yet.

Qwan cleared his throat, "Many years ago, before the battle that separated our kinds, humans and fairies lived in peace. Since warlocks and the like were so powerful, many different magics were possible, many more than the present day. So, one of those 'higher' magics was something called a bond. It made the humans prosper, and is the reason why they have advanced so much since that time." Artemis and Holly shared an uneasy glance, No1 just sat there, absorbing it in.

Qwan continued, "Now, here is the interesting part, a bond made a human and a fairy, most likely an elf or pixie, because they are most like humans in shape and stature, well it joined them magically, the human got magic and longevity, and the fairy got a companion and someone who understood them."

"How was the bond started?" Holly injected, Qwan paused and said,

"Let me continue. I will get to that. Others anomalies that the bond ensured were shared feelings of pain or the like. Intended to inform the other that their... their friend was in danger."

Artemis felt Holly's hand tighten throughout the explanation, he could no longer feel his fingers. Artemis had the same question as Holly, he could see it in her eyes,

"And why do they get these 'alerts'?"

Qwan drew a ragged breath. "Well, if they feel each others pain, imagine if one died. The magic is so intricate that the bonded pair depend on one another, and if one died,"

"The other would die." Holly finished for him.

"Well, I was going to say 'go mad' but yes, they would die soon anyway."

That was enough information, but Holly and Artemis had one more question, they both touched their new eye gingerly and Artemis said, "How is this bond started exactly?"

Qwan scratched his head,

"I think that a warlock had to initiate it, but, if they were to swap magic, and maybe a body part, and of course be close, and be healed by each other, and be in the time warp together a few times, and maybe, not usually, but maybe have deep feelings for each other, it would be bound to happen eventually."

Holly and Artemis had been mentally counting off each item on Qwan's list and then paused on the last one, was it true? He had said maybe. As Artemis wanted to think,

_It hasn't happened yet. Yet. _


	4. Munched Carrots

**Thanks again to all the comments and support for my first fanfic. I really appreciate advice and enthusiastic responses. **

**This is the now much longer 4th chapter.**

**Hope you like it! :D**

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Foaly's Booth, LEP Headquarters

Foaly was munching on a carrot, nothing unusual there. He wondered what Holly was doing; seeing how she earned a week off to babysit Artemis, as Trouble had grumpily informed him. Foaly hadn't installed any camera's in Holly's apartment, but he could put himself on her v-computer and use its inbuilt virtual camera. He checked around for any superior officers, then finished his carrot (didn't take long), and started to type.

Holly's Apartment, Haven City

Holly was just thanking No1 for his trip and the demon repeated for the third time, "Holly, don't worry, Qwan and I will research bonds and for now, everything is confidential. You never know, I could simply undo or stop the effects."

_He failed to mention removing the bond._ Holly thought glumly. She repeated that yes, she knew that, and don't worry No1, Artemis and I have been through worse. As soon as the small warlock had left, Holly went over to her small couch and squeezed in beside Artemis, who was occupying 75% of the two seater.

Artemis moved over to give her some room. "Are you feeling okay Holly?" He asked with concern. The elf just mutely nodded, then she turned towards Artemis, "There's so much we don't know!" Holly cried, "I mean, will I develop Atlantis? What will the LEP say? Will you be able to go and live a human life?"

Artemis looked at Holly, "Do you not think I have already thought about this?" He exclaimed. "I don't know what the consequences will be but I will always try to support you in every single way."

"Support her in what?" Injected Foaly from the v-computer across the room. Holly and Artemis' heads whipped around and stared at the projection of the centaur. They were both equally horrified, but Holly had the tendency to be dramatic.

"How dare you snoop on us, you horrid little pony, I swear that I'll-"

Foaly lifted up his arms,

"I surrender," He said flamboyantly, "And anyway, what are you two up to? I have a few interesting facts I could tell Commander Kelp." Holly's face and ears went red, to a shade her previous commander would relate to rather well.

"Foaly, that's blackmail." Artemis uttered in response to Holly's glare of 'say something!'. He continued, "And anyway, there are a hundred different ways I could ensure you get a pay cut. From anonymously alerting your superiors that you are leaking information to humans, to convincing the council that you stole from the LEP." It was now Foaly's turn to turn a shade of red, albeit a lighter one.

Strangely enough, it was Foaly who ended the brawl.

"We are all intelligent beings!" He snapped, "All these threats are getting us nowhere. So, you can either give me an explanation as to why Artemis was being so sentimental, or you can not, which will result in me having assumptions I'd much rather not have."

Holly came to her senses quickly, "Sorry Foaly, but anything we tell you would be a lie. This is a matter far out of our hands."

At the centaur's protests, Artemis held up a hand. "Foaly," He said gravely, "As soon as anything is clear, we might tell you. But for now, we don't know if we have a crisis on our hands or not."

As soon as Holly received an apology from Foaly, she told him to go home, it was now what was referred to as night, the sun strips were now a pale light that only just illuminated the city. Everyone was tired, and it was just sheer will that was keeping Artemis awake. He said goodnight to Holly and dragged a blanket over to the couch. As Artemis finally fell asleep, he and Holly encountered another anomaly. They could communicate in their dreams.

Heads of Holly & Artemis, Haven City

As Holly relaxed, she forgot all about her problems, from a potential magical link with someone of a different species to a snooping centaur that had too much information about certain events in her life. That is, until Holly started to dream, and her miserable position in life came roaring back towards her.

Holly was at the grounds of Fowl Manor, and she saw Artemis walking amongst the trees in the orchard, _No, no, no!_ Holly thought, _Why can't I dream of something irrelevant to my life, like swimming with dolphins or something?_

Artemis saw her and waved, he was unperturbed by the situation. It wasn't like he never dreamed of Holly, and most of his dreams were based in places he loved, like the orchard. So yes, just another dream.

Holly approached the mudboy. He was wearing a Bespoke suit, of course, and Holly found she was wearing her uniform. Holly patted her Neutrino, it was great to be armed, even if you were in a dream. Holly was now face to face with Artemis, "So, Artemis," she began, "Why are we always magnets for trouble?"

Artemis listened to Holly, and smiled, he assumed that this dream was his subconscious look for answers in the form of his dream self being questioned by his friend, so he decided to be truthful in his responses. He smiled and looked at Holly, she did look young in this dream. "I think that Trouble is an arrogant fool who hates me and likes you too much for my liking. If you were referring to the dire situations that we seemingly always encounter, I think that we have had too many enemies to not be in danger most of the time."

Holly blinked, this was a very straightforward Artemis, but then again, it was just a dream. Nothing more than a figment of her imagination. Holly responded accordingly, "If I had forgiven you, say, more easily, for lying to me, would you still have feelings for me?"

Artemis sighed, "If that was true, yes. But even with your forgiveness, I will never forgive myself anyway, and will forever feel that I don't deserve you. I always will have feelings for you Holly. No matter what happens."

Holly felt her heartbeat increase,_ It's just a dream, it's just a dream._ she repeated to herself. _Just, a very real feeling one._ And a horrible one, it just made Holly wonder what the real Artemis would say. "Well Artemis, here's another question. One I've asked, but you never answered. You know which one."

Artemis sighed, classic subconscious feelings of guilt surfacing, questions he was too afraid to address in reality. "I would have said, say if I hadn't felt too guilty to answer then, that Holly, you are the most amazing person I know, I wish that things would be different and we would be together."

Holly just couldn't stand there, even if it was a dream. She took Artemis' hand. "Artemis, this is the best dream I've had in a long time. Thank you." Holly knew she was about to kiss him.

Artemis' head reeled. "Your dream?" He asked, "This is my dream!" Holly took her hand from Artemis' grip and grabbed her weapon in horror.

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Yes, Holly had been about to kiss Artemis, but she shot him instead.


	5. Cold Sweat

**Thank you for letting me get past those horrific end of year exams. FREEDOM! Anyway, sorry it's been so long. Thanks to everyone, reviewers and readers. (Especially reviewers!) And an honourable mention to youjustcrossedtheline. My supportive friend who read this chapter, grabbed a pen, and started marking in all the comma's i'd missed, and the words she disapproved of. (few, came, just. exc) Hope you enjoy!**

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Holly gasped and awoke in a cold sweat. _It was just a dream. _She reminded herself grimly. _Artemis doesn't really think those things. That confusion at the end, that was just a dream. It was my dream, not his._

At that moment, Artemis woke up as well. He knew that the dream may or may not have been experienced by Holly. If it had been, he had just one thought, _I hope she doesn't have that weapon in her apartment. If so, it's my last night on Earth. Or rather, in Earth._ He chuckled, then stifled it in case Holly heard.

_Better to be safe then sorry. _Artemis thought.

Holly was sitting at her kitchen table when Artemis entered. "Sit." She instructed, then poured herself some juice and ignored the mudboy. Artemis had a feeling that Holly did not have the greatest night either, after all, she had shot him, and because it had been her dream as well, the seemingly harmless Neutrino had blasted a hole straight through his heart. Classic.

Holly slammed some breakfast nutriblocks in front of Artemis and stared at him. "Did you have any dreams last night, Ar-ty?" Holly exaggerated the last two syllables and Artemis shuddered at her rage. Holly Short was not someone you wanted to get angry.

"Holly, none of this is my fault!" Artemis exclaimed at his friend.

On cue, he got a cutting reply.

"Who stole magic from me? Who lied to me? Who ruined my career? Who captured me?" With each accusation, Holly's voice grew louder, until the glasses on the table rattled and Artemis could've sworn the sun strips flickered.

"I admit to all those crimes." Artemis coolly answered, "But causing us to dream walk, I do not." Holly swore,

"Mud boy, you gave me those answers!" Artemis stood his ground,

"You asked the questions." He replied simply. Holly was enraged,

"I thought it was a dream!" she cried. Artemis looked at the elf with despair,

"Holly, so did I. And I don't want to fight. Not now, not ever. Please Holly, we are in this together." Holly slumped down in her seat,

"I just... wish this was all a dream." Holly elaborated, "Everything that has happened since Vinyàya died. Nothing good has come from our last adventures Artemis, and this one isn't any different." Her voice was now barely a whisper, and Artemis was about to reply when someone knocked on the door.

Holly stood up, gave a withering, 'Do not mention this' glare, and moved to open the door. Two small demons were standing there, one was carrying a stack of scrolls and books that seemed to be taller than him. That demon, was of course, No1, and as he gave Holly a sorrowful look, she took the pile with ease and let both fairies in. Artemis was standing up and Holly was surprised to see that he had cleared the table. No1 led the more elderly demon, Qwan, to the couch. Holly proceeded after them, and Artemis filed in immediately after.

Qwan was the first to speak, "I hope we are not intruding, but I suppose you both know why No1 and I are here. Yesterday, I went though the archives electronically, but nothing came up, when I contacted the ancient library however, a few books jumped out at me."

No1 gave a glare at the 'few books' which Holly had placed on the small table in front of the couch.

Qwan continued, "And so, here in front of you, are some mentions of what might be the only knowledge there is of bonds, apart from my own, and your own experiences. But first, has there been any more symptoms?" Holly and Artemis hesitated, then, "Well, we both... had the same dream." Artemis said. Qwan nodded, "I think you mean, you were communicating in a dream." Holly nodded miserably, and patted the hip where her Neutrino usually hung. She hoped that would be the end to the questioning.

No1 shuddered, "Okay. I don't know why Foaly couldn't copy these books electronically, but here they are." Qwan flipped open the book on top of the pile.

"Alright, this book here, is on humans, say, these are very old fairytales, or rather, humantales." Qwan looked around but no one smiled at his joke. "Okay. Here is the most interesting one. By The Bend in the River. It's a poem" He shifted the open book around, then began to read.

_By the bend in the river, under the tree,_

_I tried to be quiet, But a mudman saw me._

_I thought they were savages, that killed, wanted glory._

_But he had different goals, to avoid memento mori._

_We sat down, and he listened, to my story._

"What on earth does that mean?" Holly asked,

"To be reminded of death." Artemis said softly.

"This poem sucks." Holly stated. Artemis shook his head in amusement.

Qwan looked up. "Ten thousand years ago, I don't think human's were writing poetry, no matter the quality." He injected, "Let me continue. This poem might help you.

_I was in love, he was my shield._

_And after first kiss, our love was sealed,_

_So the bond was too, my heart now was healed._

_Than the mudman became smarter,_

_His mind plotted, bad events did occur._

Holly was secretly shocked, but didn't let it show. The poem was beginning to seem too much like a warning. Or a prophecy for past events.

"No offense Qwan, but this poetry is abhorrent." Artemis added, he then glanced at Holly, she gave him a look that wistfully said 'the story of our lives..'

"This is the important bit." Qwan said in offense. and continued.

_The magical perks included mind talking,_

_And shared feelings, emotions_

_ and even sleepwalking, _

_All the time, I wasn't aware of thy changing,_

_But all the while, our minds rearranging._

Holly glanced at Artemis. "Mind talking?" She gasped. "What next?"

Qwan shrugged, and kept reading, unbeknowing what his friends were thinking.

Holly: _D'arvit! I don't want to know what Arty's thinking!_

Artemis: _This might have some serious repercussions in the near future._

_We were happy for a short while,_

_But soon the mudman turned hostile._

_Yet we knew each others thoughts. What a big mistake._

_And until my death, my heart will still ache._

_Heed this warning, don't ever bond for your sake._

_Then, we fought, and he kidnapped me._

_By the bend in the river, under the tree._

_The mudman came and kidnapped me,_

_Soon I escaped, and was finally free._

_The mudmen want profit,_

_There is no love, there is no 'we'._

Artemis looked up in shock, Holly's darker complexion was looking an Artemis-like unhealthy shade of white. He wanted to tell Qwan to stop, but wanted to see how it ended.

_To bond with man, may have some use,_

_But faerie child, please don't confuse,_

_A true friendship, and misuse._

_Which all the while, 'till ye die,_

_Ye'll regret it, faerie child of my._

There was silence for a few minutes. No1's cough made everyone look up. "It is just a story." Qwan stated softly. "The product of the imagination of a rather melodramatic pixie. Nothing to worry about."

Holly looked at Artemis, and she felt a mental shock when she saw a tear leak down from her eye. Maybe seeing that was the unnerving thing, or maybe it was because Artemis never cried.

She held out her hand and he took it. No1 looked wildly at his friends, "What is wrong?" He asked with shock. Artemis beat Holly to speaking first, simply because she couldn't find the words.

"No1, I met the fairy kind when I was 12, I was a selfish, cruel boy, and I first met them, when I captured a fairy and ransomed her for gold." It took a few seconds for any reaction to occur on No1's face, when it did, it was a mixture of shock and utter disbelief. "That fairy must hate you." No1 said finally. Artemis felt like laughing at the comment, but the circumstances made it seem unsuitable. Instead, he uttered, "I dearly hope not."

"She doesn't." Holly whispered. No1 was now turning his grey head from Holly to Artemis and back. "How do you know?" He asked worriedly.

Holly sighed, "No1, I was that fairy."

And the demon was so shocked that he knocked several photo frames, and a vase over with a gust of magic that ruffled the pages of the book and made Holly's fringe change direction. She hurried to straighten it.

No1 just looked at her. "How?" He asked, as if he was intruding on something private.

"It's a long story-"

"That you can soon read in Argon's new book." Artemis interrupted Holly. This silenced everyone for quite a few seconds. The knock on the door made the demons jump and hurriedly make excuses as to why they needed to be someplace else.

Holly opened the door, and Trouble stalked in. "Trouble, this isn't the best time to-"

"Firstly, you will address me by my rank, Captain, and as to why I am here, I'm sorry to interrupt your gathering, but you and Fowl are needed at the Plaza."

Artemis stood up, "Well.. Commander, why are you in such desperate need of my help? And Holly's of course."

Trouble seemed to growl like a feral dog, "Opal has left us a message, and as she is yet another fairy that really wants to kill you, we can use you to capture her."

Artemis whistled, "Not even a jaunt about being an armpit louse. We'll be best friends soon."

"Stop it you two." Holly cried in frustration, "We have a job to do, and I won't let your pig headedness hinder our efforts."

Trouble grinned, "Me or Fowl?"

Holly frowned at him, "You of course."

This stopped the discussion until Trouble and Artemis were without Holly, later that day. Obviously, then the bickering resumed.

Foaly swiveled his chair around from the computer he had been using, "I love doing that!" he observed, then got back to business. "Opal wants a challenge, a few months of nothing to do simply annoys her. She thinks she is worth more, and so, she left this note. He passed the said note to Holly with the pretense of as if it was a stinging viper.

"I want the LEP to know that I am at large and you should expect some interactions with me. Please note that I will capture and torture Fowl and Short, and I thank my informer within the LEP for giving me priceless information. Opal... xxxx."

Holly tossed the note to the floor and was about to stomp on it when Artemis picked it up. "Just like Opal to do that." He commented dryly. Holly showed her frustration more thoroughly. "And we can't trace her off this, , it's not electronic!" She frowned, "Informer in the LEP? Do you think that is true?"

"Knowing Opal, it could be just a taunt or it could be real. Either way, that was meant to unsettle us and distract us." Foaly answered.

"Opal would give us some clues. She wants us to think of something." Artemis added,

Then he looked at the letter, "Foaly, are there any fingerprints on this?" Foaly grinned, "Of course! That seems very Opal. He took the letter and picked up an envelope that was addresses to Holly via the LEP. Holly turned to Foaly in shock. "You read my mail?" She gasped in horror, Foaly shuffled his hooves,

"It was from Opal." He said sheepishly, if that was possible. Holly snatched the envelope and waved it in front of Foaly.

"It was unmarked!" She cried, "Damn it centaur, do you read all my mail?"

"You don't ever get any. Who sends letters these days?"

Holly frowned, "Okay, okay. Just check this for fingerprints." Foaly took the envelope and walked out. Artemis sat down at the chair and groaned. "Never an ordinary day here." He observed. Holly sat down too, "I've never experienced ordinary in my life." She responded. "Artemis, about this bond thing, I don't know. I wish it never happened. All these events.."

Holly trailed off. Artemis thought for a few moments, then said slowly,

"Do you wish you'd never met me?" Holly stared at him, clearly unable to answer.

Artemis shifted uncomfortably, but remained silent. Holly sat there, then answered a question with a question.

"Would you, um." Holly struggled with the wording, "If you could go back a few years. What would you do differently?" Artemis was silent for a moment.

"I regret capturing you. But if I never did it, I wouldn't know you, Holly. I would never have all the amazing adventures and the friends I have, and I would still be a selfish brat. I... I can't answer that question."

Holly nodded, then gave Artemis a pained smile. "If there was a way, I would save my mother and father. Family is such an important thing, and we often forget that. And... I don't regret you kidnapping me, because I would never have met you Artemis."

Artemis shook his head. "Why Holly? If you had never met me, your career would've taken off, you would still have Root and.."

"Don't blame yourself for that." Holly whispered. "If it weren't for you, Opal would've taken over and many fairies would have died. Not just Commander Root."

Foaly came trotting in, his expression was blank. "They used gloves." He said with frustration, tossing the letter onto his overcrowded desk. "Why are these things always so complicated?"

Artemis, nor Holly answered the question that they assumed was rhetorical, instead, their gaze was on the v-board. Artemis had the goggles, but Holly could see it as well. At that point Holly gave up trying to explain all the anomalies she encountered, but focused on what Artemis was doing. He searched the LEP files using Trouble's password, which he did just so he could smirk at the commander. Holly rolled her eyes. Artemis brought up a list of people that were around at the time the letter was delivered to reception. Then he brought up a list of who gave envelopes to reception. There were about 20. Holly nodded and tapped Foaly to show him. "That gives us twenty-four suspects." Holly pointed at the list. Foaly frowned,

"I don't have V-Goggles, and neither do you." Foaly looked at Holly to Artemis and back. "What's going on?" He snapped, "Explain this, and don't leave anything out. I know you two have secrets."

Holly swallowed. Where to start?

"Artemis, and, Artemis and I, we..." Holly trailed off. Artemis shifted uncomfortably for the second time that day.

"There is something called a Bond that existed between fairies and humans, way back when we were friends. It's a connection, and it hasn't happened in over ten thousand years. "

"Then you two came alone.." Foaly finished for her. He frowned, "This is just, it's nothing to do with the kiss right?"

"Foaly!" Holly exclaimed angrily, Artemis stared at the centaur in shock, then remembered something Orion had said. Artemis hoped he had been dreaming, but he asked just in case.

"You know about what happened eight years ago?"

"What happened eight years ago?" Trouble stalked in and sighed at Foaly and Holly's stricken expressions. "Never mind, don't bother." Then he noticed Artemis, whose absolutely shocked expression was suddenly hidden, and was was sighing in relief. Trouble smirked, "Now, now. I changed my mind. Do tell." Artemis widened his eyes in shock and Trouble remembered what he had shouted to those goblins all those years ago,

_If you're looking for Trouble, you've come to the right place._

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**I couldn't resist this end to the chapter. Yes, I am evil. heh heh heh. Thanks again!**

**- Evil Bunny**


	6. A Dreaded Conversation

**Wow. Sixth chapter already. Thank you so much for everyone who waited patiently for this to happen. I am now able to write faster, like I did in the hols. NO MORE EXAMS FOR THE YEAR! I decided to put some mystery in this chap, and of course, I added some drama for the H/A shippers. Oh, and another mention to youjustcrossedtheline, who gave me this chapter title. Thanks again!**

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The elf whistled and walked along the crowded LEP hallway. He passed a small pixie secretary who had just stacked a large pile of memo pads on her desk, only for the pile to be swept to the floor due to one of Foaly's new fans, called 'air amplifiers'. The pixie started swearing profusely, including words such as _centaur, sacked_ and _last straw_.

The elf passing smiled, and thought how glad he was he wasn't a secretary. He approached the flustered fairy and pulled an envelope from his jacket, he gave it to the pixie, smiling at how effective his skin colour latex gloves were. Another invention of Foaly's of course. The elf then proceeded to smile, walked back down the corridor, and out the door.

Once he was out of the building, the elf headed towards the downtown streets of Haven and to report to someone who was paying very well for the simple things she had required. Information and small errands like delivering the letter for Captain Short. As the elf reached his destination, he rubbed his hands in glee and slid into the small apartment where Ms Opal was hiding. "The letter has been delivered." He said proudly, and smiled at Opal. Opal, who was seated at the other end of an old biodegradable table, merely frowned, "Did you remember the gloves?"

The elf sat down opposite her. "Yes."  
"Then it's time for your next job. This one is the most important. You must not fail me."  
The elf bowed his head. "I will not Miss Opal."  
Opal pursed her lips. "Alright then elf. You need to be alone with Commander Kelp. And then." She slide an envelope across the table. "Open this."  
He blinked at the mentioning of the decorated commander. "How do I do that?" He asked.  
Opal sighed in annoyance. "Use your connection!"The elf nodded vigorously.  
"Yes Miss Koboi." Opal grinned evilly, rubbing her hands together.  
"This business will soon be at an end, and the whole world will be in my power! Now go."  
The elf smiled anxiously, and hurried out the door. He tucked the envelope into his coat, and worried about what Opal would do to him if he failed.

Holly stared at Trouble in shock. If he found out about what had happened, however insignificant... Someone was going to pay, most likely Artemis. _What to do?_ She shared a quick glance with the aforementioned human, His expression was grim. Trouble noticed the exchange. "Come on!" He said with authority, "Tell me!" Foaly didn't really want to be there either. _Artemis is dead. Holly with him._ The centaur thought sadly.

_I need to think of something fast. _Artemis realised. "Commander, when Holly and I went back in time, we went back eight years. And we think the bond might be partly made by all that time travel." Trouble looked at Artemis as if he was a particularly disgusting swear-toad. "I don't think so." He glared at everyone in the room,  
"How stupid do you think I am?" Trouble roared, "Captain Short. Tell me the truth. What was missing from you report?" Holly shook her head. She had to think fast,_ I have to tell him the truth._ Holly realised. She looked at the people surrounding her. Trouble looked dangerous, Foaly looked worried, Artemis... He bowed his head in defeat. Holly's confidence wavered.

"I... Uh... When Artemis and I went back in time. I... I." she sighed, "Succumbed to teenage hormones, and... kissed him. It... It was nothing Troub-" Holly abruptly stopped at the sight of her friend shaking his head slowly.  
"I can't believe this." He rasped slowly, Artemis tried to back away from Trouble, but the elf was the elite one. Trouble caught Artemis by the shoulder, and threw him against the table. "No!" Holly screamed, Foaly jumped up in shock.  
"Security!" he called, and galloped out the door. Holly shook her head. Artemis was out cold, and Foaly was gone. Just her against Trouble. Holly wanted to check Artemis, but she knew he was okay. Holly's only 'ghost' ache was from her shoulder, where Artemis was hit by the table. Nothing too serious. Holly leap up and tried to tackle Trouble. His superior strength bashed her against the door frame, and Holly cried in alarm. "Trouble; please!" Holly looked at her friend, not recognising him through the rage on his face.

"I..." Trouble backed away, Holly slid to the floor. "Holly, please. Just tell me why." The rage was gone. All that was left was sorrow. Holly couldn't trust her voice. So she sucked in a huge breath,  
"I had just saved him from a gorilla, and... Trouble, I regret every single moment. I'm sorry." Trouble Kelp collapsed into a chair.

"Please. Just tell me the whole story." Holly wildly glanced around the office. Broken chairs, broken table, Artemis. Holly tried to stand up, and shakily took a step. She told Trouble everything from the kiss to the Mini. The most painful memories of her life. Regret, anger, hope diminishing like fading smoke.

"And, I asked him, if it would be so bad if I stayed like that, like an adolescent, so we could be together." At this Trouble looked up.

"That makes it sound like you loved him." Holly didn't have an answer to this, and was saved from responding when Artemis groggily sat up. She rushed to him just as Foaly burst in with a dozen black clad LEP officers.

"And.. Uh, there was a fight." He halted at the sight of the broken people and furniture. Holly slowly helped Artemis up. He looked deep into her eyes. Their eyes. "I heard what you said about the kiss." Holly knew there was a dozen other fairies in the room, but she could only see Artemis, and the pain in his eyes. She realised that he hadn't been wrought by a sudden change of age, and Orion had told her facts that Holly knew were true. Artemis loved her. Or had. If Holly hadn't just broken his heart. "Artemis..." The human took his arm from her grasp. "Please. Just let me think for a while." Artemis moved towards the door, but it was blocked by some LEP goons. One of the said officers pointed his gun at him. "Can I shoot the human?" He asked pleadingly, Foaly looked aghast, "No! Let's just clean up and uh...Holly, you okay?" Holly nodded and walked out the door after Artemis. Even though she was trying to leave him space. Space that said so much more than words.

Trouble looked up slowly. "I'm going to lunch." He then proceeded to follow the procession out of the room. The LEP officers just stared at each other and shook their heads. It had been a bizarre five minutes. "Spud's?" one suggested and the rest nodded and all walked out after the commander, leaving Foaly to sink into one chair that wasn't broken. "I swear, if it wasn't for the need for my inventions, I'd be a florist."

Trouble stalked of the building, not sure what he was doing. But knowing that he was absolutely furious inside, he had been sure that Holly was his. But no, that deranged human had to snatch her from him. Oh Argon would have a best seller that's for sure. Grub ran up to his brother. "Trubs!" He called gleefully. Trouble kept walking,

"How many times must I tell you to call me Commander Kelp?" Grub walked beside Trouble.  
"But mummy said-"  
"Shut up Grub." Trouble was not in the mood to be needled. Grub frowned and fidgeted nervously with his jacket. "Do you want to get lunch with me?" Trouble sighed.  
"Okay." Grub visibly relaxed and walked beside his glaring brother until they reached a small alley.  
"Can we go in here?" Trouble looked around,  
"Why?"  
"Because there's a great fast food place about a block down." The Commander nodded,  
"If you say so Grub." They continued to walk, and Grub stopped abruptly.  
"Wait one second Trubs." Trouble scowled,  
"What game are you playing Grub?"

Grub disappeared and Trouble leaned against a wall.

As he reflected on the days events, and not really wanting to, he because aware of a small dark hitting his arm. Trouble groped at it and pulled it out, but it was too late. He blacked out, with only the ring of Grub's scream in his ears, and the one thought,

_D'Arvit._


	7. Miscommunication

Artemis ran.

It wasn't the sprint of an olympic sportsman, or the run of a man on a mission. It was the kind of running that can be confused with stumbling. The kind that heartbroken people use, when escaping from the thing that has hurt them. He didn't know where he was going. Artemis didn't even know Haven that well, ask Artemis Fowl for directions, and you'd be sure to get lost. With tears streaming down his pallid face, and limbs moving in an uneven gait, not to mention the fact that he was several feet higher than the average citizen, Artemis was indeed a strange spectacle.

Holly on the other hand, moved like an athlete, with speed and strength that made up for moderately short legs. But she ran like she was underwater, or a heavy weight was pressing on her chest, slowing her down. As if the air resistance was too much. Holly Short ran like the woman who had just broken someone's heart, and everyone was accusing and pointing fingers at.

_I hate myself._ Thought Holly miserably as she jogged through the wide berth Artemis had made In the crowd. All the immediate young fairies whipped out their camera phones, and began filming and taking photos. Holly was suddenly angry,  
"Leave him alone!" She bellowed, jogging through the maze of people. One particular distasteful pixie actually blocked Holly's path.  
"Captain! What's wrong with Artemis? Did he..." she bared her minuscule pointy teeth, "kidnap someone?" Holly pushed the pixie over, making her fall into the crowd,  
"Go away!" Holly yelled, "I swear I will take all of your surface visa's away for life!" The crowd quickly scatted, but another fairy pushed forward,  
"That wouldn't affect me." he said cheerily, sucking on an unfortunate bug that was still feebly twitching it's legs.  
"Mulch." Holly said weakly, "We need to talk."

The dwarf swallowed the insect, and looked around at the quickly diminishing crowd, "What about?" he said honestly, as Holly stared at the ground with a sinking heart, and a sudden feeling of nausea.

"I... I made a big mistake." Holly whispered.

As Grub Kelp lead his brother into the backstreets of Haven, he told Trouble to wait, and slid into a side street. Grub swallowed, and nervously opened the envelope Opal had given him with shaking hands. It contained a small dart. He wiped the sweat from his frowning brow, and read the small note attached, 'Hit him, and bring him to me.' was all it said. Grub was trembling, but still managed to aim, then throw the dart at the form of his brother, leaning on the wall around the corner. Grub may have been the baby Kelp, and the one who was helpless against some foes, but he was an LEP corporal, and the dart struck true, hitting Trouble in the arm. Grub watched his brother try to pull the dart out, but then suddenly slump against the wall.  
_He's dead!_ Grub thought with panic. He had come to a quick conclusion, he didn't know the dart had only contained sedative. _I killed my brother!_

Grub screamed.

Artemis closed his eyes and leaned against a wall in a cramped alley. Holly's previous words were like poison in his mind. Artemis may have been an expert in too many areas; heartbreak, though he may have read and written about it, was a foreign field.  
Artemis hoped Holly had known his feelings, actually, the reality had been exposed already, through Orion. And Artemis may have resented his alter ego, but he had told Holly how Artemis felt, how he constantly thought about her. Artemis had hoped that Holly would have told Orion how she felt, if it was only _Let's just be friends._ so the heartbreak would've been kept to a minimum, with Artemis having a little room in his head so he could yell and take it all out on himself, with no witnesses.

The thoughts flashed through his mind, and suddenly, Artemis Fowl found himself looking through familiar eyes. He felt her breathing, and Artemis realised that he wasn't the criminal mastermind that he was seen as. His most precious possession had been stolen from him; his heart.  
"I made a big mistake."

Artemis heard the words coming out of Holly's mouth. _Is she speaking to me?_ he wondered with a heavy heart, all he could see through her eyes was the ground. Holly began to speak again, to whomever she was with, "Trouble,..."  
And the vision retreated from Artemis, just as Holly managed to communicate with him, _Artemis!_ He heard her seem to yell inside his head. Artemis felt his actual hit the ground in the dim alleyway. _Holly, why? _he thought with desperation. The young mastermind may have been in a bedraggled state, but he was still able to put together the fragments of information together.

_Holly is apologising to Trouble._

Artemis groped his way out of the dim alley. He hit his head against an open door, and stumbled, falling on the organic concrete of the street.  
A small pixie poked her head put of the door, black hair streaming from her narrow face.  
She smiled.  
"Well, well, well, Artemis Fowl. Welcome to the last day of your life."

Meanwhile, Holly was talking to Mulch. "Trouble,... fought with Artemis and I after I told him what happened in the gorilla cage." Holly felt a sudden sharp pain, and someone was in her head. She gasped and heard Mulch call her name from far away.  
_She's apologising to Trouble._ Holly heard Artemis think, and she realised that it must be the bond working. _Artemis!_ Holly called with all her heart. She got a slow confused response. _Holly, why?_ and... nothing.

Holly cried out, "ARTEMIS!"

Mulch was groping through his beard for a snack. "What gorilla cage?" he said absentmindedly, then he looked up at Holly, "Everything alright?"  
Holly mutely nodded. She tried to sit up, her head swam, and thoughts bubbled into one another in her brain. Mulch shook her. "Holly! What gorilla cage?"  
Holly groaned, but managed to answer, "When you helped us eight years ago. Remember? Artemis and I went back in time!"

Mulch stared at Holly for a few seconds, then widened his eyes. His hands flew to his mouth, "I remember." He gasped, and for the first time ever, Holly saw Mulch be genuinely shocked. "You... kissed Artemis Fowl! And... Oh my gods. AND, you recently went on a date with Trouble! He'll..." this was another first for Holly. Mulch Diggums lost for words. "murder you!"

Holly was nodding along, until Mulch mentioned the date.  
"How did you know that?" Holly gasped at Mulch.  
The dwarf squinted, not wanting to mention , but still wanting to blame Foaly. "Foaly told me." he said, desperately avoiding Holly's eyes.  
Holly waved her hand, "It doesn't matter. Look, Artemis is most probably lost. Can you help me find him? He went that way." Holly pointed at the path Artemis had taken.  
Mulch nodded solemnly. "I saw."

Holly started to jog, but Mulch was still standing in the same place. She groaned and sprinted back to him. "Artemis is in danger!" she snapped, "You need to move!"  
Mulch suddenly lost his serious note, "What an anomaly." he commented dryly. Holly shakily whipped an unsuspecting Mulch on the jaw. "Stop being so sarcastic!"  
"Hey!" he called while massaging the sore part of his face, "I need that. Don't go ruining my career on account of your foolish boyfriend." This statement didn't help. Holly raised her fist and sent Mulch crashing into the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Artemis is neither of those things." Holly hissed. She stalked off, dimly aware of the fact that she had no plan, and how she had hurt all the people who would've helped her.

Opal smiled at herself in a recently broken mirror. Two major kidnaps in one day, a successful one really. "Grub!" She called as her latest recruit and her informer came through the door, hoisting his brother over one shoulder. "I have him Ms Koboi." The elf said, sounding pleased and worried at the same time.  
Opal nodded. "Wonderful. I have Commander Kelp, and Artemis. Now all I need to do is lure in that vile Holly Short."  
"Holly isn't vile." Grub piped in meekly, Opal glared at him and threw a cracked piece of mirror at the elf. Grub squawked and jumped out of the way. He hit the table and Trouble went sailing onto the floor.  
Opal went up to Grub and helped him up, then shoved Grub roughly back onto the floor, snarling at him, like the mad pixie she was. "Holly Short is the most vile fairy in the world. She is evil, befriends humans, and I will brainwash her and make her my slave!"

Grub gulped, "Yes Miss Koboi." he said, genuinely terrified for his brother and himself. Opal nodded, "Good. Take Trouble to the cellar. I can't wait until he wakes up and finds himself in a small room with Artemis Fowl." She then frowned, "But I hope they don't kill each other, it's so much more fun when I do the slaughtering."

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**... And that ending really speaks for itself. Thanks again to everyone. :D I'll update soon!**


	8. An Omnitool

**Thank you everyone for being so patient while this chapter slowly came together. I started soon after the last one, but got so busy, and then, hell.. it was after Christmas. Oh well, sorry about that. I hope the length makes up for it, (if my writing doesn't). This is the second last chapter (just to clarify) and I would really appreciate reviews if you haven't already. So, to the story!**

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Trouble slowly regained consciousness. A blur descended on his mind, and he couldn't fully shake the effects of the sedative off. He was in some sort of cellar, there were no windows, and the only light was from an ancient mini sun strip that feebly flickered the longer Trouble gazed at it. There was a door, but it had no lock or handle, obviously the secure lock, whether it be a combination lock or palm print scanner, was on the other side of the door. Trouble was in no position to try and open it anyway, so he examined the contents of the room, including the mudman curled in the fetal position on the stone floor.

Trouble barely blinked, but his heart started thundering so fast he was in danger of accidentally shielding. _The mud filth who stole Holly from me._ He thought vengefully, and Trouble found the strength to stand up. Strength born from unimaginable hatred.

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Mulch found Holly sobbing against a wall. "I don't know where he is!" she confided to the dwarf as he tried hard not to stare at the red blotches on the face of the elf he had thought nearly indestructible. Well, with his new found memories, Holly Short now seemed to almost have the emotions of a normal fairy. Well, apart from the compulsive kiss-a-mudman disorder, but what could Mulch do about that?

"Maybe he went back or something. I mean, why would Artemis go here?"

Mulch's efforts didn't help at all. Holly turned towards him with gaunt eyes. "He's still here."

Mulch was now even more confused. "How do you know?"

Holly shook her head and paced across the small alley, "I just know."

The dwarf blinked. Yesterday the world had seemed almost simple to him, now it was utterly bizarre.

"Maybe you need a rest." Mulch said softly, placing a hand on Holly's shoulder. If anyone who only knew him from his formidable reputation would've witnessed this, there would be no hard core reputation left.

Holly choked on a sob. "I need to find Artemis and a-apologize." Mulch now felt himself shaking. Holly Short stuttering. Probably the most terrifying thing he had ever witnessed.

"Apologize for what?"

Holly broke away from Mulch and aimlessly started walking. "For breaking his heart."

Mulch barely heard this, and immediately wished he hadn't. He pulled put out a phone and started to call LEP Plaza, while trailing Holly from a few meters behind. "Foaly, we have a situation here." Mulch frowned, "No. This has got to do with Holly! She's..." Mulch turned around and stared at the figure of his friend lopsidedly walking, "Heartbroken."

It was Foaly's turn to be utterly speechless. Frowning at the communicator as if he had misheard, Foaly brought it back to his ear and took a deep breath, he didn't want to seem shocked. "And may I inquire as to why Holly seems so... out of sorts?"

Foaly could almost picture Mulch frowning and chewing some miserable creature as he formed his words. "Okay pony boy. Artemis is missing and Holly is a bit frantic."

Usually at this point of time in a conversation, Foaly would offer some snide comment and his trademark sarcasm, perhaps bringing up Artemis' utter lack of sense of direction. Instead the word _heartbroken_ seemed to hang in the air, Foaly heard Mulch take a breath and continue, "Holly seems to have in mind that she needs to apologize to Artemis for b-breaking his heart."

Foaly sighed somewhat dramatically and ran his hand down his long face, "Mulch, tell me. How long is it before every being on and in earth knows about the catastrophe that is Holly Short and Artemis Fowl? And more to the point, will it be a happy ending, the kind that you read in a fluffy romance novel published by some human that doesn't know much about grammar and the ways of the world?"

Mulch frowned, "I don't think that's very _to the point_ Foaly, but I think I get what pony- I mean centaur genius is implying."

"Just answer the question!" Foaly cried in exasperation.

"Okay okay, I think, that if they make up, get married blah blah blah, and have little minions- er babies, and these little devils have Holly's sense of obedience, and Artemis' brains... The world is doomed."

Foaly sighed, "Sadly, I agree."

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Artemis roused, and before he accidentally alerted whoever had kidnapped him that he was awake, Artemis recalled the events of the day. Opal had captured him. That was certain. Why had he been in a dim alleyway? Holly had apologized to Trouble, and he Artemis, was worried that if he didn't take his medication soon, Orion would take over. And what Orion would do to this already mucked up state of affairs, Artemis didn't dare to think. He did dare to think however, that he was in an incredibly perilous situation that required some quick thinking on his part. Artemis shifted slightly, and he heard no response. Artemis needed some information, so he slowly opened his mismatched eyes, and saw Trouble's purple eyes almost glowing red with something that Artemis was afraid to admit was undoubtedly hatred.

The mud filth seemed to stir, and Trouble froze, slowly Artemis' eyes opened. And Trouble came face to face with the same mismatched colour eyes of Holly Short. Trouble took a step back, he wasn't expecting to see anything that would remind him of the elf he had come close to being in love with. But, this would hurt Holly deeply... She was seemingly in love with Artemis, and there was that obvious link. Trouble's anger cooled a bit. He crouched down and looked straight at the obviously terrified human. "Tell me all about what you have with Holly. And DO NOT leave anything."

It took a few hurried minutes of Artemis' brief yet encompassing description for Trouble to have the whole story. He now understood. Trouble stood up, nodded at Artemis and kicked him hard in the stomach. The most disturbing thing, was Trouble wasn't enjoying this at all.

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Holly and Mulch were standing in the alley. "He's somewhere here. I.." Holly doubled over with an apparent sudden pain to her stomach. "Holly!" Mulch grabbed his shaking friend and let her lean against him. Holly looked up with pained eyes. "Artemis. I know where he is... the bond is telling me. Mulch, call No1, we need backup."

Mulch turned around to call the demon warlock. When he turned back around, Holly was gone. "D'Arvit." Mulch confined to no one.

Holly knew instinctively where Artemis was. She turned a corner, turned another one, and spotted an ordinary looking door. She ran up to it and with a swipe of her Omnitool, broke in. Holly felt her stomach aching unbearably, Artemis was badly hurt. _More reason to do this quickly. _Holly gritted her teeth and opened the door, but gasped in complete shock when she saw who was inside.

Opal was sitting at a table, with... Grub.

Opal smiled that sickly smile which made Holly want to vomit. "Well well. Look who we have here Grub! A lovesick LEP officer ready to save her dear mudman." Opal spat. "I despise you, your sickly feelings." Opal pointed a finger at Holly. "Good thing you won't have any emotions soon." Holly cried out in indescribable, excruciating agony as Opal hit Holly with wave after wave of magic, sent to bring the mightiest warrior to his knees in deafening pain. In the other room, Artemis suddenly went white, whiter than he had been I should say. He couldn't muffle this yell. Opal heard it over Holly. Opal tsked and stopped shooting bolts of magic at the aforementioned female officer, who collapsed to the floor immediately. "I think Trouble is being a bit too harsh on our poor Artemis." Holly paled, "Trouble?" she gasped while feebly readjusting her grip on the omnitool, knowing that she'd run out of luck soon.

Opal smirked. She considered carefully, and decided Holly thinking Trouble was on her side wouldn't hurt anyone but Holly, and Trouble, if Holly reached him.

"Yes, dear Trouble's been an absolute treat. His undeniable hate for mud filth vermin makes him the perfect "hit man" to coin a mudman phrase." Opal wiggled her fingers.

"And combined with the fact that he is a trained LEPretreival commander AND that you trust him. Mmmm... delicious."

Holly blinked hard, her breath labored. She raised the omnitool above her, aiming for Opal's legs underneath the table. Holly sent a silent prayer to her mother as she rammed the device at Opal's leg. The tool latched onto the pixie, who screamed in agony as it dug into her leg, clicking mechanically as the omnitool searched for the workings of the 'lock' it was attached to. Bursts of blue radiated from where Opal had been injured, yet the sparks were dimming, and to the cliché, she had exhausted all her magic on torture. "Grub!" Opal yelled as the elf shook his head. "Sorry Ms Koboi." Grub picked up a nearby saucepan, and wacked Opal right in the head, knocking her out cold. Holly stood up shakily, everything was going too fast, she turned to Grub. "Artemis." Holly gasped as she slid to the floor again.

* * *

Artemis lay on the floor. "I hope that will be enough." He stated, barely audible. Trouble nodded and offered a hand for Artemis to stand up. "The good thing is," Artemis added while rubbing his temple, "that I really believed you would hurt me, which would aid Holly knowing where we are." Trouble nodded. "I am quite sorry that I had to do that, and it's admirable that you would put yourself in harms way for Holly to save us."

"Not only to save us," Artemis injected. "but to finally catch that villainous pixie."

Trouble nodded somberly, "I just can't believe that Grub would be in league with Opal."

It was Artemis' turn to nod, "Yes, but he could be mesmerized. I don't believe he would do such a thing either." Trouble wiped his rather bloodshot eyes. "I should notice these things!" he all but shouted, "He's my brother!"

Artemis was listening to Trouble, but his bond suddenly pulled him out of range, Artemis widened his eyes as he sensed Holly's presence. "Holly came alone."

"D'Arvit!" Trouble started to pace the room, each step thundering down and sending shivers down Artemis' spine. "This is so typical." Trouble murmured, and Artemis just had to agree.

The human walked towards the door, "I can hear Opal. She's speaking to Holly!" He ushered Trouble to come forward, and they placed their ears on the door.

"You, your sickly feelings. Good thing you won't have any emotions soon."

And Artemis cried out, head banging against the steel door as he thrashed in waves of agony that he was incapable of keeping silent. Trouble jerked backwards and looked around with fright, he heard Holly dimly over Artemis, and he realised what was happening. Trouble tried to calm Artemis, but the mudboy accidentally lashed out and struck Trouble straight in the solar plexus. A soft groan was all that the Commander could muster before he slid to the ground, unconscious before he did.

* * *

Holly came to exactly 142 seconds after she has injured Opal. Her body has used this time to reboot and check systematically for internal bleeding, organ failure, brain damage, and all manner of common and not-so-common unsightly injuries. Holly did not have more than a scrap of magic, but she was strengthened by the closeness of the person she was bonded to, although he was still unconscious. Holly stood up, not feeling as stable as she would've liked, and the sight that awaited her was worth the unsteady legs. Grub had found Foaly, Mulch and No1 wandering along the alley, not to mention the LEP squad that flanked them. They had burst in and secured an unconscious Opal, and No1 was standing close to Holly, with the intention of gently rousing her after her system had rebooted. "Are you feeling alright?" The demon asked her with an air of concern. Holly responded by doing something that was definitely not in the LEP rule book on the matter of what to so when waking to find ones self in a area that still needed securing. Holly sprang forward and hugged No1 tightly. "I'm fine." she whispered hoarsely. Holly stepped back and cherished the sight of an unconscious Opal being carried out by the LEP team. The pixie was muttering softly. No1 followed Holly's gaze, and commented, "I've done a complete erase of her memory of going forward in time, and of your visit to her time. I'm opening the time stream in five minutes, and this mess will be all over."

Holly shook her head slowly, "I hate to think we are letting her go to become such a villain. If we lock her up or kill her, we could save Julius, we could..."

"We can't risk changing the past so significantly." Foaly butted in, though he shed a tear at the fact that they were, in perspective, signing Commander Root's death sentence. "Who knows what damage that would issue to the space time continuum? The only thing we can do is be grateful that Opal is locked away in her cell in Atlantis, and while we are still breathing, she can never do any harm again."

To this Holly sighed, and her thoughts brought her to Artemis.

"Artemis!" she called anxiously, as she ran towards the locked door where she knew the mud boy was. Holly banged the locked door with her fists, and Grub came forward.  
"Let me." He entered a complicated series of numbers onto a keypad and the door swung inward, revealing two unconscious males lying on the floor. Holly rushed to Artemis' side, where there were bruises on his temple and his shirt was torn. Holly fixed his hair and wiped the blood off Artemis' cheek. Holly looked sideways at Trouble, knowing he was going to pay for what he had done. Almost blind with rage, Holly tried to muster her self control... and failed.


	9. The Grand Finale

**This is it!**

** And if you've read this far, I suppose you must think I'm okay at this, so thanks. :D**

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* * *

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Trouble regained consciousness just in time to see yet another angry face leaning over his.  
Holly had come just in time, Trouble was just waking up.  
Artemis roused at the right time, indeed a moment he would gloat over later, Holly very nearly about to knock Trouble out cold.

But Artemis knew he had to intervene before things got ugly, and Holly hit someone, even if that someone was as despicable as Trouble Kelp. Artemis groaned and groggily sat up, "Holly, please listen for a moment. You don't-"  
"Shut up Artemis, you're suffering from trauma. It would be best if you don't speak right now." Holly was shocked at how professional she sounded, despite the non regulation inclusion of the phrase 'shut up'.  
_Oh gods, __They're turning me into a robot. What's happening to me?  
_Truth be told, Holly has recently been reading the LEP handbook and she was stunned at how she had been offered the position of Major all those years ago, considering the guidelines for promotion. Holly snapped back at the sound of a familiar voice.  
"Holly! Thank goodness you're alright!"  
It took Holly exactly half a second to analyse this sentence and decide the best course of action would be to punch the speaker in the jaw and worry about the repercussions of hitting a superior officer later. So she did.

Artemis was too slow to avoid Holly punching Trouble, for he was too preoccupied with the possibility of his own trauma being significant enough to cause him to not think rationally, and as he had just deducted, since he was still able to recite several famous gnomish poems in his mind, complete with a translation, Artemis thought he was fine. Still, he ridiculed himself for being so completely sidetracked, that he didn't avoid Holly probably loosing her job again. "Holly!" He cried as soon as Holly had dealt the blow, "Why did you do that?" A line, that would probably do more harm than good. So again, Artemis cringed at himself.

Holly shot Artemis a venomous glare, the likes of which would've sent a troll running to his momma, if only Holly had considered using it in such a time of crisis. So you would probably imagine what Artemis felt when he saw one of his best friends look at him like that. But then Holly processed what Artemis had said, and what she should say in return, and the expression dropped as soon as it occurred. "Because.." Holly's voice faltered, "because he.." Holly very nearly said _hurt you_ but decided on a more diplomatic approach, "Because he was in league with a notorious pixie on the loose."

Artemis sighed, "Holly, it was my idea for Trouble to hit me."  
Holly widened her eyes, "Fowl, are you sure you're thinking rationally? You better lie down or something." Which wasn't such a smart thing to say, considering Artemis had been sprawled on the floor just a few minutes before.

The human tried not to sigh in exasperation yet again, but couldn't resist a good punch line (No pun intended).

"Speaking of the event of people not thinking rationally, I think you better listen to me. It was my idea for Trouble to hit me because that was the only way you would be able to free Trouble and I, not to mention apprehend a notorious criminal. The bond would've told you the way to Opal's hideout. It was a strategic way to capture Opal using the resources we had at the time, and I can see that it worked. So Holly, please apologise to Trouble, and let's get this ordeal over and done with."

Holly remained speechless throughout the typical Artemis-explanation, which annoyingly enough, made absolute perfect sense. Her thoughts included, _He's lost his mind. Typical. That makes perfect sense. _and_ D'Arvit, I have to apologise to Trouble. _in that order. When Artemis had finished, Holly nodded glumly and heard a voice she'd rather not hear, "It was still a good punch." Foaly added from the crack in the door, and then, "Yeah, great punch." Which was Trouble as he massaged his rapidly swelling jaw. Holly barely blinked at this comment, instead deciding to briskly jump up and feint punch Foaly in his horsey mouth. He frowned, and added, "I'll be supervising Opal," before closing the door and avoiding any actual damage. By supervising, Foaly of course meant taunting, annoying, tormenting, and any other synonyms of the words you care to think of. Holly stood there for a moment, then turned to Trouble, a simple "Sorry," barely audible, and she followed Foaly out the door. Trouble turned to Artemis, "You could've let her kill me," He commented causally.

Artemis tried a half hearted smile representing a vampire grin, "I think of the repercussions, not of the pleasure of the action."  
Trouble snorted, but stared at Artemis, seeing through the shaky demeanor of the child prodigy, and thought that he'd either speak fast, or not have the courage to later, "Armpit lice, I saw how she looked at you. I am sad to admit you won."  
Artemis replied with a more genuine smile, It still felt strange to do it so often. "What, the venomous glare?"  
The Commander laughed, Fowl wasn't such a hardheaded ass when you got to spend a bit of time with him, even if you were locked in a cellar. "No. After that, and before it." His voice dropped to a whisper, "Every time before it."

Artemis stared at the concrete-like floor, "Why, I don't believe there was a contest to win."  
Trouble winked, "You know there was. There always is."

A young elf police officer stepped into the room, "We're securing the area. Time to move out, um, Commander." Artemis stood up, followed by Trouble, the latter whispered, "And never mention that conversation. Ever." Artemis nodded, bound by the guy laws that were the same, no matter what age, species or intellect you were. He turned into the main room, and smiled at the sight of Holly parading across the room and ordering everyone around.

No1 patiently explained to Trouble and Holly how he needed to mind wipe Opal and send her back to the past. "It's already happened. Opal was always in her right time, that's how we apprehended her the first time." Holly shook her head, "Opal killed Julius." she hissed, "I say we kill her." No1, the most gentle creature you would ever care to see, shuddered. "It doesn't matter, we still need to send her back." Artemis placed his hand on Holly's shoulder. "If Opal never existed. I would still be a cruel boy. You wouldn't ever need my help, I would probably be mind wiped." Holly tried to hide her emotions by backhanding her face for a second. She only succeeded in brushing away tears. "I want revenge!" Holly cried out hopelessly. Artemis suddenly had an idea. "Holly, how about this?"

After a minute of explanation, the elf had a smile on her face.

* * *

2 days later

The tribunal silenced when the elf that had replaced Vinyáyá stood up, and started to speak, "Opal Koboi. We find you guilty of countless crimes, including murder, torture and attempted exposure of the people. I now proclaim your crimes only punishable by a sentence that involves you, to use a mudman term 'reap what you sow'. Death. The tribunal have not decided on an execution of this punishment," the elf winked "pun intended. We have however, given that power to a certain Captain Short, whose decision will reflect herself as an officer, and the pain you have inflicted on her." Short and sweet. (Again, no pun intended).

Holly shakily stood up. She hadn't expected this to happen. It was Artemis' idea to let the Opal of the past watch her trial and punishment, then be mind wiped and then sent back. It had seemed a good idea at the time. She swallowed and stared at the crowd of fairies and one human assembled around her. Holly's heart rate increased, she locked eyes with Artemis, he too looked strained, but managed to smile at her. One of the old Tribunal members coughed politely, and Holly jerked her head up, she had a decision to make.  
"I.. believe that.." her voice failed, "death is not something to talk of lightly, and I accept the Tribunal's decision, but.. Opal Koboi has killed one of my closest friends. Jul.. Commander Root, and her crime deserves a just punishment." Many faces in the crowd were nodding encouragingly, waiting her to get to the point. The execution of a criminal was something that would be broadcast throughout Atlantis and Haven. Exciting to say the least. Holly swallowed again, "I decide that Opal Koboi will be executed by a quick shot to the heart. Short and almost painless.. Although.. it was the part of me she nearly broke. Do the Tribunal accept my decision?"

Another elder member of the Tribunal stood up, "We accept Captain Short's decision, yet, we beg to ask who will do the deed?"  
Holly exhaled sharply, "Up to you."The tribunal looked at her expectantly, wanting an explanation. Holly stared in horror at each member of the Tribunal, "How can I choose something to become a murderer? I would never specify someone to kill. It seems unimaginable, how am I meant to know what they think of the matter? I would never have the heart to."  
"And yet you tell us that someone else must do it?"

Holly couldn't bare it any more. "No. If they don't want to, then I will do it myself."  
A collective gasp came from the audience as the old Opal forced herself up. "No!" She shrieked, "I will repent! I will-"  
Holly shook her head sadly, devoid of anger. "No Opal. It has already happened."

The Tribunal murmured for a moment, then the new member stood up again, "Captain Short, the Tribunal has decided that you have proven your worth again and again." The elf winked yet again, "So congratulations Major."

Holly stared, both Opal shrieked, Trouble smiled, Artemis let out a very un-Artemis-like whoop, and Foaly started spontaneously clapping. Soon all the fairies in the room were cheering, and so were all the others glued to their televisions in numerous cities. The combined impact of the applause recorded as two simultaneous earthquakes of magnitudes 3.4 and 5.2 in Ireland and somewhere in the ocean, pinpointed to near the Atlantis Trench. _Just a coincidence_ was what the leading scientist mud men concluded. Typical. For the most superstitious race, humans were so boring sometimes.

Back with the main protagonists: Holly stood up in front of the Tribunal, her friends, and indeed most of the fairy population. "Thank you." She uttered, clearing unsure of what else to say, and then her gaze drifted to Artemis, he was smiling. "Well done Holly." He put his hand on her shoulder. Just a friendly gesture to anyone who saw. To Holly, it was warmth and love, the kind that only two people who knew each others feelings could feel. Unable to deny it any longer, Holly turned to Artemis, and in front of all the aforementioned people, plus the rest of the population due to the frequent TV replays and multiple magazine covers, they kissed.

* * *

Holly broke a few records that day. Firstly, the quickest time to be demoted from a promotion, 1 minute 54 seconds. The second was winning most popular moment of television ever in Dixie's Pixie Magazine. The third, well, recorded in the minds of all the Tribunal as the most memorable moment of their career. And, last but not least, well it wasn't that day, it was a year later, first fairy engagement to a human. But that's another story.

The End


End file.
